I started shooting in a league this year. This last week we shot against the final team in the league, so I have seen every shooter on all the teams finally.If my area is typical of the rest of the US this sport is in grave trouble.I do not believe I have seen more than 10 shooters under 40 years of age (and that is being generous) in my 8 team league.Even in the 40 to 55 age range the number of shooters is not that high. In another decade if this local trend continues we'll need to build wheel chair ramps to the targets.

Is this unique to my area, or is this the trend among Bullseye shooters?

I shot my 1st Bullseye Match in '68, before it was BE. Just pistol shooting and pistol matches. NO need for further designation as it was the only game in town. There was a good mix of ages at matches and in the local league . Over the years we have went thru cycles when attendance was down and back up. In the 90's it was hard to get on our 12 position indoor range. Soon it was dropping off. This time other disciplines had appeared and had been growing for several yrs so we pronounced it "different", being destroyed by these new games. Looking back over the years I agree with Dave L. and John B. Also we shoot the guns mentioned,1911's, H-S's, 41's, and the European stuff because they are better guns than the plastic stuff.LONG LIVE THE KING!Ron Habegger

The good news is that while Bullseye may be in a lull, there are many shooters competing in many new disciplines. Let's face it, the "run and gun" looks fun. No doubt it attracts many new shooters. Then there is action pistol. Wow, that also looks like fun. New shooters whatever discipline they pursue is good for shooting as a whole. Think about all the anti-gun people and politics.

I very much agree with the previous post that the best action shooters are pretty darn good at the precision shooting.

First for anyone who gets seriously interested in Bullseye, there appears to be considerable cost involved, especially if someone needs to buy two or three appropriate guns (probably before they even know much about the sport).

Second, by the time one gets really serious, it takes up a huge amount of time. Some (like me) might enjoy the time for dry-fire, reloading, and so on, but others might simply not have enough time for all that.

Third, one needs to learn what we call the "fundamentals", and un-learn any bad habits. Practice, practice, and more practice, hopefully with a coach, but otherwise learning from books, YouTube, and best yet - this forum!!

Why are Bullseye Shooters older - by the time one retires, one is likely to have more available time, which I guess can be spent in playing cards with other oldies, or something like competitive shooting.

Also, before anyone can get involved in shooting at all, they really need to know and understand shooting, as in being safe, and proper care and handling of guns. I'm not sure where people go to learn that stuff nowadays, unless they're from the country and maybe learned it while growing up. Boy Scouts?

I've always been interested in "target shooting", but never had the time to do much more than occasional range trips, and then reloading for them. Nowadays, the more involved in Bullseye I get, the more I realize I have to change and learn. It's all good, and it's all fun, but I'm not sure how many people I know have the available hours to spend every night dry firing, probably as well as reloading. Reading Tony's blog, there is a lot one needs to consider before getting seriously into Bullseye.

As I see it, it's not completely the money, and it's not completely the time, but one has to really want to enjoy doing it for its own sake, the enjoyment of doing it. The idea of hitting that tiny target 50 yards away, and hitting it in the bullseye, is like hitting a "grand slam home run" to ordinary people. Seemingly an impossible task.

(Two years ago, had anyone told me I'd be learning how to shoot a 1911 one handed, I'd have told them they were nuts!)

Most young people now want instant gratification and we all know there is a lot of time required to get good at this sport. It is much easier to shoot 3 to 7 yards at a target and if they hit it a few times that's great if not they move it closer. Those that do get better and enjoy it may take up one of the run and gun sports. Been there, tried that, shot well, but am frankly to old so there is BE. Still trying this. Don